El Chorro is a limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 gorge in Andalusia

Andalusia

Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...

 in southern Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, through which passes the Guadalhorce

Guadalhorce

The Guadalhorce River is the principal river of the Province of Málaga, southern Spain....

 river. It was dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

med in 1921, forming three reservoirs which are flanked by pine forests.

It sits next to the 700m high Desfiladero de los Gaitanes pass, and is famous for the very dangerous path called Caminito del Rey

Caminito del Rey

El Caminito del Rey is a walkway, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in the province of Málaga, Spain...

 (King's little pathway). The path took its name because it was officially opened by Alfonso XIII of Spain

Alfonso XIII of Spain

Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...

. However official access to the path was removed in 2000 after a tourist died trying to cross it. According to a tourist leaflet, four tourists died during the two years before the closure. There are now movements afoot (as of October 2008) by the local council in Ardales to secure funding to restore the path although any work is not expected to happen before 2010 with completion maybe in 2012.

At present the walkway is accessible by climbers only (via ferrata

Via ferrata

A via ferrata or klettersteig is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities...

 protection gear recommended).

The gorge runs from the end of the embalse del Gaitanejo to El Chorro. There are two extremely narrow sections at each end of the gorge with a wider bowl in between. In addition to the currently defunct walkway, the Malaga to Sevilla / Cordoba railway line runs through the gorge in a set of several tunnels, bridges and dams cutting through the gorge. It is possible, but illegal, to access parts of the gorge along and through the tunnels of the railway line from El Chorro.

It was used as a location for train scenes in the 1965 adventure film Von Ryan's Express

Von Ryan's Express

Von Ryan's Express is a 1965 World War II adventure film starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard, based on a novel by David Westheimer, and directed by Mark Robson.-Plot:...

.

The area is renowned as a popular rock climbing

Rock climbing

Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...

 area in Europe, but is also very popular for mountain biking

Mountain biking

Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...

, hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

, and camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

.

External links

• Video of walking the decrepit pathway in the pass a test for acrophobia
  Acrophobia
  Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
  
  
• El Makinodromo and El Chorro on planetmountain.com